scholarly journals The possible contribution of civil society in the moral edification of South African society: The example of the ‘United Democratic Front’ and the ‘Treatment Action Campaign’ (1983–2014)

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakobus M. Vorster
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
South African ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Antiretroviral Drugs ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Treatment Action ◽  
Treatment Action Campaign

In spite of much candid protest and overt criticism against the service delivery record and corruption of the South African government, the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), once again secured a persuasive victory in the 2014 national elections. This situation begs the question whether the ballot box is really the only efficient instrument for disgruntled voters to influence government policy and behaviour. This article examines the possibilities that the mobilisation of civil society offers in this regard. The central theoretical argument is that civil society can be an important instrument through which the citizenry can exercise their critical function with regard to the government in an effort to address poor service delivery and corruption and to influence government policy. Christian organisations can play a crucial role in this process. Two examples of past efficient action by civil society serve to illustrate this argument. With the assistance of churches and Christian organisations,these organisations profoundly influenced government policy and are consequently presented as models for action today. The first example is the ‘United Democratic Front’ (UDF) that forced the pre-1994 South African apartheid government to a negotiated settlement despite the strict security laws that the state utilised to keep the UDF in check. The second example is the ‘Treatment Action Campaign’ (TAC) that forced the post-1994 Thabo Mbeki government to adopt a policy of free provision of antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive patients. These two influential civil organisations offer models of how civil society can act as critical watchdog. In future, these models can be used to mobilise civil society, including churches and Christian organisations, to act correctively in defining and enacting government policy, despite the ANC’s strong position in government and the large majority that the governing party can secure at the voting polls.

scholarly journals Adjudicating socio-economic rights – transforming South African society: A response to Linda Jansen Van Rensburg’s paper

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Charles Ngwena
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Bill Of Rights ◽  
African Society ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Cultural Considerations ◽  
Treatment Action ◽  
Treatment Action Campaign ◽  
South African Constitution

It is trite to say that the adjudication of socio-economic rights is a new enterprise in South African jurisprudence, as it is to the jurisprudence of many other jurisdictions. Professor van Rensburg’s paper seeks to analyse the influence of political, socio-economic and cultural considerations on the interpretation and application of socio-economic rights in the Bill of Rights. The pivots for discussion are the decisions of the Constitutional Court in the Soobramoney,1 Grootboom2 and Treatment Action Campaign3 cases which, thus far, are the only cases in which the Constitutional Court has substantively determined the nature and parameters of socio-economic rights and obligations under the South African Constitution. My response is somewhat deferential in that I largely concur with many of the observations that Professor van Rensburg makes. In some respects, however, I have attempted to bring into the analysis of Soobramoney, Grootboom and Treatment Action Campaign not so much new insights, but rather different emphases. Likewise, my response is constructed around the three cases. I begin with Soobramoney.

The Freedom Charter and Ethnicity— towards a Communitarian South African Society

1989 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-115
Author(s):  
A. J. G. M. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
International Level ◽  
African Society ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
The South ◽  
South African Society ◽  
National Congress ◽  
People’S Organisation

At national as well as international level the South African Freedom Charter has become a symbol of the long-standing struggle against apartheid. In this essay the emphasis will be on the charter's provisions relating to ethnicity. The question of ethnicity is a crucial one, for on its solution depends the outcome of the economic and other social problems which trouble South African society.The 1955 Freedom Charter, which was the outcome of a joint venture of the African National Congress (A.N.C.), the South African Indian Congress, the South African Coloured People's Organisation and the predominantly European South African Congress of Democrats, suggests a unitary, participatory welfare state, which will acccord equal rights to all “national groups and races”.For the A.N.C., the senior partner in the “Congress Alliance”, the reference in the charter to “national groups and races” soon became a major headache. Could it be said that the charter lent support to the creation of “four nations”? A number of people within the A.N.C. feared that much. Prominent among them were the “Africanists” who in April 1959 broke away from the A.N.C, and formed the Pan-Africanist Congress (P.A.C.) “Charterists” and “Africanists” are still at loggerheads, but the A.N.C.'s “Revolutionary Programme” of 1969 and its “Constitutional Guidelines for a Democratic

Is a New Worldwide Web Possible? An Explorative Comparison of the Use of ICTs by Two South African Social Movements

2007 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman Wasserman
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
New Media ◽  
South African ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Treatment Action ◽  
Treatment Action Campaign ◽  
Worldwide Web ◽  
Information And Communication

Abstract:In this article the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), especially new media technologies such as e-mail and the Internet, by postapartheid South African social movements is explored. Following a discussion of the use of these technologies by activist groupings in international contexts, a typology suggested by Rheingold (2003) is used as a framework for comparing two South African social movements: the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Anti-Privatization Forum (APF).

scholarly journals A Reformed perspective on the concept of the ‘common good’ and its relevance for social action in South Africa today

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakobus M. Vorster
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Natural Law ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Theoretical Argument ◽  
South African Society ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
Positive Assessment ◽  
The Common

This article investigates the idea of the ‘common good’ from a Classic Reformed perspective and the possibilities raised by a fresh approach to the concept for social action by civil society in South Africa today. The central theoretical argument of this article is that the new interest in the concept of natural law, as became evident in modern-day moral reflection in the Classic Reformed moral teaching, can indeed contribute to a new positive assessment of the concept common good and can provide a valuable framework for the foundation of reformed social action in cooperation with civil society in South Africa today. Firstly, the concept is discussed within the framework of the reformed idea of ‘natural law’ and the argument concludes with the finding that the concept can be accommodated in Reformed Theology. Secondly, a case is made for the cooperation between churches, other religious institutions and the broader civil society to cooperate on the basis of the common good and global ethics to address three areas of serious concern in the South African society. These are the promotion of the idea of human dignity within the social sphere with special reference to racism, xenophobia and sexism as well as the development of family life and family values, and the advancement of the idea of neighbourliness as a core ingredient of social healing and reconciliation.

scholarly journals Dealing with corruption in South African civil society: Orientating Christian communities for their role in a post-apartheid context

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich W. De Wet
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
South African ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Complex Landscape ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Constructive Action

The way in which the full spectrum of Christian communities are challenged to realign themselves in addressing the impact of corruption on the contemporary South-African society can be a relevant indicator of civil society�s state and functionality in a post-apartheid democratic context. Utilising the interpretative and normative tools of practical-theological research, the researcher attempts to point out markers for Christian communities towards orientating themselves regarding their role in a complex landscape and in an asymmetrically shaped public sphere. The discussion includes an analysis of the current shape of civil society, an interpretation of the complex landscape of perceptions regarding corruption and an overview of the dilemmas faced by some of the major Christian church traditions in the post-apartheid South African context concerning their truthful presence in civil society. The discussion concludes by making a case for the need to anchor the realignment of the prophetic voice and the revitalisation of the transformative presence in a profound and far-reaching theological reorientation. Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without ridding the own presence from potential corruptive elements like hidden exclusivity, half-hearted concern and compromise.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Making use of the interdisciplinary results of social sciences and civil-society studies, the author provides an overview for Christian communities and their leaders in theologically orientating themselves for an appropriate angle of approach in entering the public sphere with a view on authentic and impactful participation in anti-corruption dialogue and actions. The key finding of the research amounts to the following: Tension fields that involve critical and constructive action in a situation of endemic corruption cannot be negotiated without ridding the own presence from potential corruptive elements like hidden exclusivity, half-hearted concern and compromise.

scholarly journals REVISITING A CULTURE OF TOLERANCE RELATING TO RELIGIOUS UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION IN SOUTH AFRICA (PART 2)

Obiter ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radley Henrico
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
South African ◽  
African Society ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Multicultural Diversity ◽  
Present Possibility

In Part 1 of this article the need to reconsider whether merely tolerating diversity in a multicultural and pluralistic secular South African society is sufficiently addressed. Transformative constitutionalism is the vanguard of ensuring a substantive change in our democratic order. Such change brought about as a result thereof would be meaningless if it failed to embrace the fact that the proverbial South African “rainbow nation” showcases an array of religions from various walks of life. Secularism, multicultural diversity and the necessity of having to live together are a reality, filled with the ever-present possibility of dispute, whether in civil society or the workplace. Ubuntu is instrumental to the success of transformative constitutionalism; especially when effect to its underlying principles is given impetus by the collective. This article is divided into two parts. In Part 1, tolerance was viewed in terms of the origin of the term; its meaning of forbearance and putting up with differences. The question was posed whether commitment to true democracy is not better aligned to the notion of celebration rather than toleration. This article looks at tolerance against the backdrop of Ubuntu and the imperative that we care for others not due to a sense of forbearance but rather through acclamation of a spirit of celebration of our differences. The case of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality v Afriforum provides a crucial plank from which the notion of celebration, as opposed to mere toleration, should be embraced.

scholarly journals Reconstructing a Deuteronomistic Athaliah in the (South) African context: A critique of the patriarchal perception of women

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ndikhokele Mtshiselwa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Women Politicians ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
African Context ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Female President

Angie Motshekga, the president of the Women�s League of the ruling African National Congress (ANC 2014), is reported to have said that �South Africa is not ready to have a female president ...� What is perturbing about her statement is the presupposition that South-African society perceives women as presently incapable of leading the country as president. Given the variety of literature on female empowerment in South Africa, Motshekga�s statement comes both as a disappointment and a disempowering assertion as it does not exhibit a clear attempt to address patriarchy. This article re-interprets the character of Athaliah in 2 Kings 11 and probes it for the empowering possibility that it offers the women of South Africa. It argues that Athaliah was a politically astute queen and that the scarcity of female rulers in ancient Israel confirms the patriarchal bias against women. Thus, drawing from the reconstructed character of Athaliah and from the leadership demonstrated by selected women politicians against a patriarchal paradigm that is part of African cultures, the article submits that the perception of women as capable of leading South Africa as president is justified.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The present article partly responds to Angie Motshekga�s statement that �South Africa is not ready to have a female president ...� Thus, drawing from the insight in the fields of the Old Testament, social sciences and gender studies, this article submits that the perception that women are capable of leading South Africa as president is warranted.

scholarly journals A Giant Steering the Ship: The Leadership Style of Oliver Tambo and the Lessons that can be Drawn

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren C. Marx
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Leadership Traits ◽  
African Society ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
South African Society ◽  
National Congress

Oliver Tambo dedicated most of his life to the liberation of South Africa from apartheid dominion, whereby he garnered international respect from his peers and contemporaries. He rose to prominence within the African National Congress (ANC) during a harrowing time in South Africa’s history by consistently demonstrating leadership and guidance. Tambo’s innate leadership skills originated through his unique mix of personality qualities that he steadfastly believed in his entire life. This tenacity and conviction allowed him to govern the leadership of the ANC—despite being in exile—in an efficient and systematic manner. The objective of this paper is to examine the different leadership traits Tambo possessed, which allowed him to steer his political party’s ship through the most turbulent of seas. Secondly, this paper examines the current political climate in South Africa with the aim of addressing leadership models required to mould and sculpt South African society into the Tambos of today. These two objectives will largely be pursued through oral testimonies of those who worked and interacted with Tambo closely over the years, as well as anecdotal stories which demonstrate the level of leadership Tambo always provided.

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